A New Stage for KW Musical Productions!

Many of you may have noticed the recent media coverage about the Centre In The Square. Over the last two years the Centre In The Square has gone through substantial organizational changes in order to streamline their business, including increasing their rental rates for community groups. With so much competition for entertainment dollars in Waterloo Region, the Centre In The Square faces the same financial challenges as most not-for-profit arts organizations in the country. We have encountered many of the same hurdles and can appreciate their situation.

KWMP has produced musicals at the Centre In The Square since 1980. Over the last five years, our sales for shows at that venue have declined substantially due to the rising costs and the number of seats in the theatre that must be sold in order to reach our budget threshold. After disappointing sales for Anne of Green Gables last fall, the Board of Directors made the difficult decision not to renew our annual contract. We are extremely proud of our 34 years at this world class venue, but we must be financially prudent in order to preserve the legacy of our organization.

Over the last few months, the Board of Directors has diligently explored other venue options. It is with great excitement that we formally announce our plan for the coming Season. As many of you know, rehearsals have already begun for The Drowsy Chaperone which will be produced at The Registry Theatre from November 6 to 15, 2014. We are very excited that longtime performer Eric Da Costa will step behind-the-scenes to direct this fun-filled comedic production. Eric was part of our mentorship program as the Assistant Director for Anne of Green Gables last fall. It’s exciting to see him take the next step and be at the helm of a production.

Earlier this year, we had the great fortune of returning to the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse after a seven year hiatus. Our production of The Full Monty, staged in February, was a bit of an experiment to see if we could produce larger scale musicals in this venue. The Full Monty was a critical and financial success paving the way for a new vision for KWMP.

Our major musical for the coming Season will be Bye Bye Birdie presented at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse from February 12 to 21, 2015. We anticipate a cast size of around 40-50 people, so although our big musical will not be quite as large as it was at the Centre In The Square, there will still be plenty of cast and crew positions available for aspiring artists on stage and off. David Atkins and Michael Brown will return as Director and Music Director, and Christine Watson, who choreographed The Full Monty will join their ranks as Choreographer.

This season was full of new projects – we undertook our first fundraiser in May and it was a rousing success both artistically and financially. We have decided to make this an annual event and look forward to the return of Broadway Our Way next spring, which will be extended over two weekends from May 21-30, 2015. We will produce the fundraiser at our building on Shaftsbury Avenue – this is the first time we will have produced a show in our own space and we look forward to that exciting challenge. Please watch for our call for volunteers in early 2015.

We know that change can be unsettling, but we want to assure you that the organization you know and love will continue to produce high quality musical theatre and provide opportunities for the community to be involved at all levels. The big bonus here is the reduction in ticket prices – you’ll notice that all our shows are now under $40 before tax. We are thrilled that our musicals are more affordable than ever.

The Board of Directors is confident that the changes to the venues and structure of our Season will maintain the vitality of our community theatre organization for generations to come.  In closing, we invite you to become a member and reconnect with the KWMP family. Whether you were involved last season, or haven’t been a member for years, we want you to be part of the 2014/2015 Season. KWMP is built by and for the membership. Email us at info@kwmp.ca to renew your membership today.

John Bigelow
President

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